Step right up!

The circus is coming. The circus is coming.
And it promises not to be just another three-ring event.
Feld Entertainment, the Vienna, Va.-based producer of the famous Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus properties, is bringing to Cleveland its newest production, Barnum's Kaleidoscape -- an upscale, one-ring affair.
Kaleidoscape turns upside down the images a contemporary circus conjures up.
For starters, the audience takes in the spectacle from the comfort of plush, crimson-colored crush velvet seats and sofas. No audience member is more than 50 feet from the ring, and circus-watchers even can fraternize with performers before and after the show.
In another twist, lions, tigers, bears and elephants aren't in the program. The only animals Kaleidoscape features are six horses and a gaggle of geese. Instead, it's big on acrobats, aerialists and archery daredevils. But that's not all that's different.
Feld Entertainment holds Kaleidoscape in a fanciful tent instead of an arena venue. It is the first show Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey has presented inside of a tent since 1956, said Jim Ragona, production managing director of Kaleidoscape.
Back then, about 7,500 people could sit under the big top. The climate-controlled Kaleidoscape tent is much smaller. It seats only 1,850. But the more intimate space is part of the environment Feld Entertainment was aiming for when it created Barnum's Kaleidoscape, said Scott Smith, vice president of Kaleidoscape.
The Cleveland show will be set up at the Nautica entertainment complex in the Flats. It will run from May 13 to June 11. However, the 54-truck circus caravan will be in town much longer because it takes at least 10 days to set up the tent and hardwood flooring and another four days to pack up and leave, Mr. Ragona said.
The circus, which currently has pitched its tent in the parking lot of Chicago's Soldier Field, has traveled to eight cities since starting its tour in April 1999 in Century City, Calif. Kaleidoscape has gotten rave revie
ws and kudos for featuring mostly acts that highlight feats of human skill, strength and daring. Indeed, the circus was so popular in Minneapolis that Kaleidoscape was held over for two weeks last August, Mr. Smith said.
Feld Entertainment created the posh show in an attempt to reach people who don't typically attend the circus, Mr. Ragona said.
'There is an entire segment of the population that does not go to arena entertainment, and we lose people as children grow up,' Mr. Ragona said. 'We have you as customers three times in your life -- as a child, when you have kids and when you have grandchildren. We decided we wanted to fill in the gaps.'
Feld Entertainment hopes those gaps will be filled by corporations looking for an event to boost their marketing and employee relations efforts, said Nicole Hobby, vice president of corporate sales and group sales for Kaleidoscape.
'We are trying to develop a new audience,' Ms. Hobby said. 'We don't have a corporate audience with our other properties. Kaleidoscape is perfect for corporate entertaining. It's very social, so everybody drops their guard. And it's for families, too.'
Still, Kaleidoscape is a challenging sale because circuses are not associated with corporate entertainment, Ms. Hobby said. Overcoming that hurdle is why Feld Entertainment has positioned the show as an upscale event.
Ms. Hobby said the company ideally would like 25% of Kaleidoscape's audience to come from the corporate ranks. Right now, about 10% of Kaleidoscape's crowd is corporate.
Mr. Ragona said Kaleidoscape officials see the show as 'the perfect event for companies to do some team building.'
'We can tailor an evening for a corporation to whatever they like,' he said. 'They can even give employee of the year awards. We've (hosted) seminars and sales pitches before the show.'
The company has already started its corporate marketing effort in Cleveland, Mr. Smith said. Consumer advertising will start appear
ing around the end of the week. Tickets will be priced at $20, $30 and $48.
The Cleveland shows are the only dates Barnum's Kaleidoscape has scheduled in Ohio.
'Not every city has a place like the Flats,' Mr. Smith said. 'There are some cities where I pass on the event because I can't find the right environment. I passed on Cincinnati because of all the downtown construction with the stadium.'
As a result, the Cleveland dates will likely be advertised more widely throughout the state.
'I guess we'll probably get an audience (in Cleveland) from two to three hours away,' Mr. Smith said.